NBA Playoffs Begin April 16 With New Play-In Format

The 2026 NBA playoffs tip off this Saturday, April 16, marking the league's first postseason under an expanded 20-team format that includes two additional play-in tournament games. Basketball fans across the U.S. are searching for start dates as the regular season concludes tonight with several playoff seeding scenarios still undecided.

The league implemented changes this year to increase competition, with seeds 7-10 in each conference now battling in a four-team play-in tournament. This creates more meaningful late-season games but has also generated confusion among casual fans about the revised schedule structure.

All first-round playoff series will begin April 18-20 after the play-in concludes. ABC will broadcast the opening weekend matchups, while ESPN and TNT will split coverage throughout the postseason. The NBA Finals are scheduled to start June 4 if the series goes seven games.

Interest spikes annually as the playoffs approach, but searches are particularly high this year due to the format changes and tight races in both conferences. The Western Conference features five teams separated by just three games fighting for the final three playoff spots, while the East has a three-way battle for the 8th seed.

Ticket prices for first-round games have already surged 18% compared to last season according to secondary market data. The league expects record viewership after last year's playoffs averaged 5.6 million viewers per game across all networks.

Warriors star Stephen Curry told reporters yesterday, 'The new format makes every regular season game matter more. We're treating these last few like playoff games already.' His team currently sits in 9th place in the West and would need to win two play-in games to advance.

The complete playoff bracket will be finalized tonight after the final regular season games conclude. NBA.com will stream the play-in tournament games free for U.S. viewers without cable subscriptions.